At some point in the last week, I expected Ted Leonsis to apologize. Not for his decision to move the Washington Capitals and Wizards to northern Virginia — that’s a mea culpa that may come if Leonsis is forced to return to his broken-down arena in the District should the $2.2 billion Potomac Yard deal fall apart.
No, I thought someone would have sat Leonsis down and critiqued his odd performance at the Dec. 14 press conference in northern Virginia. There was an off-putting air of giddiness about the billionaire that morning as he talked about responding to a “higher calling,” taking his teams south across the river and leaving the District behind. It came off like Transparent Ted was dancing on the District’s grave.
“That is the higher calling on everything we do, to build legacies through winning championships, from doing to right things in the right way by our fans so that people can appreciate the community they live in,” Leonsis said.
It was insulting, but it was also revealing.
He is not the man he claims to be.
This should come as no surprise, but to watch him say “We still have a responsibility to do a great job and continue to invest in Washington, D.C.,” with a straight face reveals the depths of his delusions and the magnitude of his ego — which appears to have no limits.
I thought that as some time passed, those who advise Leonsis might have suggested an apology was in order. Might have pointed out that his “higher calling” remark was offensive to those who have to pick up the pieces he plans on leaving behind. This is not to let city officials off the hook. They are culpable for their neglect of Leonsis and the problems in and around his Capital One Arena.
But this column is about Leonsis — his style, his substance and his claims of being “accountable.” That word’s a big part of Transparent Ted’s hollow vocabulary.
He appears to be capable of the act of apology. Before the Wizards opener this season, Leonsis sort of gave one to fans in an interview on his Monumental Sports Network. “To be honest, I feel like I failed the fan base for the last three, four years,” speaking of the team’s restart, reshuffle, rebuild, whatever you want to call it. It was several years too late, but it was a rare moment of contrition.
Last week’s act could have used a moment of contrition.
Whenever Leonsis feels the need to strut, I always feel compelled to refer to his book, “The Business of Happiness,” in which he reveals the “six secrets to extraordinary success in work and life.” You have to admit, it takes a lot of you-know-what to write a book telling people how to be happy.
In it, he takes the time to pay tribute to the man he purchased the Capitals and Wizards from, the owner who built the arena downtown and changed the city – Abe Pollin.
“Abe was a remarkable man who built and sustained both the Washington Wizards and the Caps, and in the mid-1990s, he had taken on a very significant financial commitment, building a new arena in downtown D.C.,” he wrote. “Mr. Pollin had moved his teams from Landover, Maryland, into the heart of the District because he thought it would be better for the city he loved. He financed this himself, in an act of civic generosity that is increasingly uncommon among sports team owners, who often rely on municipalities —taxpayers — to build their new arenas or stadiums.”
Leonsis sought $600 million from the city to fix up Capital One Arena, and his deal in northern Virginia could wind up costing more than $1 billion from “municipalities — taxpayers.”
Guess Transparent Ted is no Abe Pollin — though, when he wrote the book in 2010, he cited the late owner as a role model of sorts when it came to owning a sports franchise.
“Owning the Washington Capitals is not simply being the proprietor of a business,” Leonsis wrote. “It is, as Abe Pollin said, a public trust. It has offered me an outlet for personal expression, as I’ve strived for transparency and continuous communications with our fans.”
And so Transparent Ted was born. Good luck waiting for Humble Ted to make an appearance. He’s busy answering his higher calling.
You can hear Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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